Videophone Installation

London, Manchester, and Santa
Monica, 1977
Sobell placed a telephone on the ledge outside the gallery window; she sat
inside, facing away from the window at an oblique angle, with another
telephone. A closed-circuit camera was trained on her face, and another
on the faces of the public as they ap proached the phone. Split-screen
monitors faced her and the public, with one side of the screen devoted to
her image, the other to the other participant. By picking up the
telephone on the ledge, participants could talk to her, and could see her
face on
the monitor.

Another split-screen monitor sat on a plinth at the rear of the gallery,
which was completely walled off from the front; bystanders who were
hesitant to participate themselves could watch by entering the gallery and
walking all the way to the rear.

The piece was installed at London,
Manchester, and later, with modifications, in Santa Monica. In
Manchester, Sobell let the public come in and take over her seat, as
well.